Fergus 6 years on from diagnosis and Starship - memories of that day.

It's 6 years ago since Fergus was flown by Life Flight to Starship Children's hospital. He was diagnosed at 10 weeks old with a Congenital Heart Condition that was on the severe end of the scale.

Fergus is a fighter - he made it to 10 weeks old even though he wasn't gaining weight, was vomiting with feeds, seemed to have a cold, was snuffly (which was actually from having fluid on his lungs) and fell asleep from the exertion of feeding. All unbeknownst to us because his heart and body were struggling to just keep him alive.

I'm so glad I realised things weren't quite right and kept going back, to plunket to weigh him and the GP on the 9th Jan who refered him to a Paediatric doctor in Nelson Hospital for the 15th Jan 2009 visit to Out Paitents that became a life changing day for Fergus and our family.

I'll never forget that day, Kerry and I were there with Fergus (Jared and Anton were with grandparents). The doctor met us in the waiting room and said to me "has he been breathing like that for long" she checked his vitals then took us into a treatment room in children's ward, they called for an Echo to be done and from the way they were talking between themselves I knew this was serious. They put an IV line in one arm and Fergus was admitted, then the doctor came in and after talking by phone with the starship doctor said Life flight was on the way to take us to Starship.
At this point we were in shock but got focused on what we needed to do, there was only room for one of us in the plane so I had to go and Kerry would follow in a commercial flight the next morning.
We rang our families and Kerry went home and packed me some things to take. My Mum and sister came to the hospital. It all seemed so surreal. They wanted to put a second IV line in for the flight and the Nelson doctors tried but couldn't get one in his tiny veins, when the Life flight team arrived their doctor tried again but the only place they could find a viable vein was on his head. They put Fergus in a portable incubator and we left around 10pm, took an ambulance to Nelson airport, got loaded onto the plane (they put Fergus in the back with the doctor and nurse and I sat in front, it was pretty noisy and Fergus had a pair of tiny sick on earmuffs put on and I had to wear earmuffs too, it seemed like the longest time on that flight in the dark with only a few lights below us, nothing familiar and my head full of thoughts and questions and all I could do was look behind me to try and see if Fergus was doing ok), we both flew for our first time to Auckland, then another ambulance ride to Starship, and into PICU where Fergus was settled into a little bed surrounded by machines. I had to go and learn how to express and it was now 12am.
What a day it was!

Today and every day I'm thankful for the people who helped us, the prayers that were said and for God who heard and answered those prayers and blessed us with our children and gives us the strength we need each day to live in victory, with joy and love in our hearts.
We have Abundant life and abundant blessings!